Logistics of Guinea Worm Disease Eradication in South Sudan

Abstract

From 2006 to 2012, the South Sudan Guinea Worm Eradication Program reduced new Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) cases by over 90%, despite substantial programmatic challenges. Program logistics have played a key role in program achievements to date. The program uses disease surveillance and program performance data and integrated technical–logistical staffing to maintain flexible and effective logistical support for active community-based surveillance and intervention delivery in thousands of remote communities. Lessons learned from logistical design and management can resonate across similar complex surveillance and public health intervention delivery programs, such as mass drug administration for the control of neglected tropical diseases and other disease eradication programs. Logistical challenges in various public health scenarios and the pivotal contribution of logistics to Guinea worm case reductions in South Sudan underscore the need for additional inquiry into the role of logistics in public health programming in low-income countries.

Community-based surveillance: A scoping review

“…One thousand nine hundred ninety-three documents were identified by the search strategies. After screening and selection, 134 were included in the review [3–5,9,11–14,21–146] as illustrated below in Fig 2.…”

Slaying little dragons: the impact of the Guinea Worm Eradication Program on dracunculiasis disability averted from 1990 to 2016

“…**South Sudan: Data for Sudan and South Sudan were disaggregated according to current national boundaries for the entire period 1990–2016 as GBD estimates are generated for current political boundaries. We acknowledge that pre-2011, Sudan and South Sudan were not separate countries and that pre-2006 Guinea worm eradication was implemented as a single national program 33 .…”

People-centred surveillance: a narrative review of community-based surveillance among crisis-affected populations

“… 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 Eight documents were provided by humanitarian organisations (three abstracts, 39 , 40 , 41 two non-indexed articles, 42 , 43 and one thesis 44 ) or by the authors (one older, non-indexed article 45 and one article that did not have MeSH keywords 46 ). The 29 documents retrieved 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 described 25 unique systems in the Central African Republic (two systems), 21 , 33 Chad, 35 Côte d’Ivoire (two systems), 24 , 40 , 43 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (two systems), 26 , 30 Guinea, 37 …”

“… 27 , 29 Guinea worm detection also included isolation and treatment by community health volunteers (CHVs). 27 …”

“…Eight documents were provided by humanitarian organisations (three abstracts, [39][40][41] two non-indexed articles, 42,43 and one thesis 44 ) or by the authors (one older, non-indexed article 45 and one article that did not have MeSH keywords 46 ). The 29 documents retrieved described 25 unique systems in the Central African Republic (two systems), 21,33 Chad, 35 Côte d'Ivoire (two systems), 24,40,43 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (two systems), 26,30 Guinea, 37 Haiti (two systems), 31,39 Liberia, 44 Sierra Leone, 25,32,36,42 South Sudan (two systems), 27,29 and Yemen, 46 and in refugee camps in Bangladesh, 41 Chad, 19 the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 22 Ethiopia, 20 India, 18 Malawi, 45 Nepal, 38 South Sudan, 23 Tanzania, 28 and Uganda 34 (table 1). Study designs included descriptive studies of outbreak responses (16 of 29 studies; seven studies had only basic details on CBS) 20,22,23,25,27,28,30,…”